After Kansas State closed the regular season with a 24-14 win over Colorado to secure bowl eligibility for the fifth consecutive year, head coach Chris Klieman didn’t sugarcoat the 2024 campaign.
“Damn proud that we were able to get to 6-6,” Klieman said. “If you would’ve said it before the season, [it would have] been really disappointing. If you would’ve said it after we were 2-4, I was hoping we weren’t going to go 3-9.
The Wildcats started 0-3 in non-conference play with losses to Tennessee, Tulane, and BYU, then dropped their Big 12 opener at Colorado to fall to 2-4. Many programs across the country that began 2-4 finished 3-9 or worse. K-State instead ripped off four wins in its final six games, including a 31-20 road upset of then-No. 16 Iowa State and Saturday’s senior-day victory over the Buffaloes.
“In this era of college football, on an off year for K-State… we’ve been to a lot of bowls in a row, and I know we have high expectations,” Klieman continued. “For crying out loud, we won the Big 12 Championship in 2022, and if you don’t do that now, it’s a poor season, and I get that.”
Under Klieman, Kansas State has never missed a bowl game (2019–2024), a streak that began the year he arrived from North Dakota State. The 2022 Big 12 title and Sugar Bowl appearance raised the bar permanently in Manhattan.
“By no means are we satisfied,” Klieman emphasized. “But I’m proud of these kids for fighting through it and getting us bowl eligible again.”
Saturday’s win allowed K-State to send out seniors like quarterback Avery Johnson, running back DJ Giddens, linebacker Austin Romaine, and safety Marques Sigle with a victory in their final game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Wildcats now await their bowl destination, expected to be announced Sunday. A 7-6 finish is very much in play; few would have predicted that six weeks ago when the season appeared to be slipping away.
As Klieman has said repeatedly since 2019: at Kansas State, bowl eligibility is the floor, not the ceiling. Even in an “off” year, the standard held. 🐾
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